Introduction

Windows 8 is both revolutionary and evolutionary. Revolutionary change includes the following:

• A new, modern, touch-enabled user interface called the Modern UI
• A new programming model called WinRT for building a new type of application, called a Windows Store application, that uses the new Modern UI and hosted services such as Windows Azure
• A Microsoft-hosted online app store, the Windows Store, that will distribute most applications built on the new programming model, although a separate “sideloading” process will enable organizations to bypass it and deploy applications directly
• A new member of the Windows OS family, Windows RT, which runs many of the new Windows 8 features on ARM-based tablets.

The names of many of these features were changed during development from code names to new and hopefully permanent monikers. (See the chart “Windows 8 Nomenclature“.)

Evolutionary changes include the following:

• An installation option called Windows To Go that allows roaming users